BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team scored twice during the third period and pulled within one with 3:13 remaining, but its comeback bid fell short in a 5-3 Central Collegiate Hockey Association loss at (RV) Bowling Green State University Saturday night.
Max Namestnikov,
Oliver Peer and Jirí Klíma scored for the Beavers, while
Carter Rapalje recorded two assists. Klíma, Namestnikov and Peer also finished with two points apiece.
Bowling Green opened the scoring 8:54 into the first period when Noah Morneau finished a setup from Brandon Whynott and Ty Higgins. Morneau doubled the Falcons' advantage with a power-play goal at 15:16, sending the Beavers into the first intermission trailing 2-0.
Max Hildebrand helped keep the Beavers within striking distance by stopping 14 of the 16 shots he faced during the opening period. Bowling Green held a 16-8 advantage in shots through the first 20 minutes.
The Falcons extended their lead 1:38 into the second period when Jérémie Minville scored off assists from Tyler Hotson and Connor Levis.
Bemidji State answered on the power play at 6:39. Namestnikov scored his third goal of the season off assists from Klíma and
Hudson Thornton, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Morneau completed his hat trick at 9:59 of the middle frame, restoring the Falcons' three-goal lead. His third goal of the night stood as the game winner and sent Bowling Green into the second intermission ahead 4-1.
The Beavers applied sustained pressure during the third period and outshot the Falcons 16-7 over the final 20 minutes. Peer pulled BSU within two at 7:58, scoring his third goal of the season off assists from Rapalje and Namestnikov while on the power play.
With the Beavers continuing to push, Hildebrand was pulled for an extra attacker with 4:13 remaining. Klíma converted at 16:47, finishing a setup from Rapalje and Peer to make it a 4-3 game.
The goal was Klíma's fifth of the season and third of the series. The freshman finished the weekend with three goals and one assist while leading the Beavers with 14 shots on goal.
Bemidji State again pulled Hildebrand for an extra attacker with 2:13 remaining, but Jake Sloan scored into the empty net at 18:32 to secure the 5-3 victory for the Falcons.
Hildebrand stopped 25 of the 29 shots he faced over 58:07. Jacob Steinman made 28 saves for Bowling Green, including 14 during the third period.
Klíma led the Beavers with seven shots on goal, while Peer followed with five and Rapalje added four. Thornton paced the BSU defense with three blocked shots.
The Beavers held a 31-30 advantage in shots on goal, won 37 of 70 faceoffs and finished 2-for-2 on the power play. Bowling Green converted one of its two opportunities with the man advantage.
With the loss, Bemidji State moved to 2-6-1 overall and 1-2-1 in CCHA play. Bowling Green improved to 6-4-0 overall and 4-0-0 in league action.
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Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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